Cash registers have historically been used by retailers to manage transactions. Specifically, cash registers perform efficient and accurate tallying and reporting duties. As retailers have begun to increasingly rely on sales data, POS systems have gradually started to replace conventional cash registers. Today, POS systems utilize data for both accounting and marketing purposes.
For example, retailers have used data obtained from a POS system to manage frequent shopper programs. In such programs, customers often carry cards with a machine-readable indicia, such as magnetic stripes or bar codes. The cards identify the customer to the POS system which tracks purchase behavior. The transaction data which can be obtained through the POS system may include one or more of the following: (i) the items an individual purchased, (ii) the frequency at which an individual shops, (iii) an individual's average purchase total, and/or (iv) an individual's coupon redemption behavior. In addition, transaction data can be aggregated to account for regional and demographic behavior such as reactions to sales and promotions. While customers are rewarded for their loyalty, a database of such information is formed.
Product manufacturers have also utilized data collected through POS systems for marketing purposes. Manufacturers use the data to track product performance and the impact of manufacturer promotions, such as coupons and rebates. Manufacturers can benefit from the ability provided by the POS to instantly and directly market to individual customers. For example, many manufacturers profit through many POS couponing services offered by systems such as those disclosed in various U.S. patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,212; 4,910,672; 5,173,851; and 5,612,868.
The benefits realized by manufacturers through the use of POS data and current POS marketing techniques are grossly exaggerated, however. Sales data drastically diminishes in value by the time manufacturers have a chance to analyze the data and make decisions on their analysis. Post-sale sales data, at best, can be used to influence a customer's subsequent purchases. For one-time or infrequent purchases, data indicating that a customer purchased a competing brand is relatively useless to a manufacturer in that the customer has already purchased the competitor's product. Furthermore, although prior systems may give customers targeted coupons instantly after a purchase at the POS, this is too late to encourage current consumer behavior because the customer must bring the coupon back to the store at a subsequent visit.
In addition, because coupons and rebates require a further active step in addition to the initial purchase, the effectiveness of such programs is minimal. This deficiency can be attributed to a manufacturer's extremely passive role in such promotions. Coupons are printed, distributed, and left to customers to redeem. Customers, however, often forget to bring such coupons to the store, and often misplace such coupons. Even so-called “coupon-less” frequent shopper card systems require shoppers to carry cards, which are burdensome to carry and are also lost or frequently forgotten. Because coupons suffer low redemption rates, coupons are inevitably a poor vehicle for manufacturers to effectively provide customer value. In addition, rebate offers are often ignored because of the inconvenience to the buyer in redeeming the offer. Ultimately, customers often find rebates valueless because the amount of money to be redeemed can be rather insubstantial compared to the effort and postage required for redemption.
Manufacturers have also historically been limited in their ability to compete with other manufacturers at retail locations. At best, manufacturers can effectively compete by packaging products more attractively and by obtaining better positioned retailer shelf space. Because manufacturers are not actively involved in retail transactions and sales efforts, they miss opportunities to market directly to ready, willing and able buyers at a time when buyers are making purchasing decisions.